Search Engine Math
By Danny Sullivan, Editor
October 26, 2001
Forget power searching. Don't worry about learning to do a "Boolean" search. All most people need to
know is a little basic "search engine math" in order to improve their results. Come learn how to easily
add, subtract and multiply your way into better searches at your favorite search engine. The
information below works for nearly all of the major search engines.
Be Specific
Before learning math, it's a helpful reminder that the more specific your search is, the more likely you
will find what you want. Don't be afraid to tell a search engine exactly what you are looking for.
For example, if you want information about Windows 98 bugs, search for "Windows 98 bugs," not
"Windows." Or even better, search for exactly what the problem is: "I can't install a USB device in
Windows 98," for example. You'll be surprised at how often this works.
Using The + Symbol to Add
Sometimes, you want to make sure that a search engine finds pages that have all the words you enter,
not just some of them. The + symbol lets you do this.
For example, imagine you want to find pages that have references to both President Clinton and
Kenneth Starr on the same page. You could search this way:
+clinton +starr
Only pages that contain both words would appear in your results. Here are some other examples:
+windows +98 +bugs
That would find pages that have all three of the words on them, helpful if you wanted to narrow down a
search to Windows 98 bugs, rather than on Windows 98 in general.
+star +trek +insurrection
That would get you pages about Star Trek that also specifically mention "Insurrection," the title of a
Star Trek film.
The + symbol is especially helpful when you do a search and then find yourself overwhelmed with
information. Imagine that you wanted to reserve a camping space in California's Yosemite National
Park. You might start out simply searching like this:
yosemite
If so, chances are, you'll probably get too many off-target results. Instead, try searching for all the
words you know must appear on the type of page you're looking for:
+yosemite +camping +reservations
Using The - Symbol to Subtract
Sometimes, you want a search engine to find pages that have one word on them but not another word.
The - symbol lets you do this.
For example, imagine you want information about President Clinton but don't want to be overwhelmed
by pages relating to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. You could search this way:
clinton -lewinsky
That tells the search engine to find pages that mention "clinton" and then to remove any of them that
also mention "lewinsky."
Similarly, perhaps you are looking for information specifically about Windows 95 but keep getting
pages about Windows 98 or Windows 3.1. You could eliminate them with a search like this:
windows -98 -3.1
Perhaps you are a fan of the original Star Trek series but instead keep finding pages about Voyager,
Deep Space Nine or Star Trek: The Next Generation. Try a search like this:
star trek -voyager -deep -space -nine -next -generation
In general, the - symbol is helpful for focusing results when you get too many that are unrelated to
your topic. Simply begin subtracting terms you know are not of interest, and you should get better
results.
Using Quotation Marks To Multiply
Now that you know how to add and subtract terms, we can move on to multiplication. As in normal
math, multiplying terms through a "phrase search" can be a much better way to get the answers you
are looking for.
For example, remember above when we wanted pages about reserving a campsite in Yosemite? We
entered all the terms like this:
+yosemite +camping +reservations
That brings back pages that have all those words on them, but there's no guarantee that the words
may necessarily be near each other. You could get a page that mentions Yosemite in the opening
paragraph but then later talks about getting camping reservations in the Grand Canyon. All the words
you added together would appear on this page, but it still might not be what you are looking for.
Doing a phrase search avoids this problem. This is where you tell a search engine to give you pages
where the terms appear in exactly the order you specify. You do this by putting quotation marks
around the phrase, like this:
"yosemite camping reservations"
Now, only pages that have all the words and in the exact order shown above will be listed. The
answers should be much more on target than with simple addition.
Likewise, remember this addition example?
+windows +98 +bugs
As you can imagine, multiplying the terms together within a phrase search would work better, because
that exact phrase probably appears on good pages dealing with Windows 98 bugs. So try this:
"windows 98 bugs"
Remember the search for information about the latest Star Trek movie? We could transform that into a
phrase search like this:
"star trek insurrection"
But the movie's title actually has a colon after the word "trek," and many pages might also follow this
format. Thus, a better phrase search might be:
"star trek: insurrection"
Combining Symbols
Once you've mastered adding, subtracting and multiplying, you can combine symbols to easily create
targeted searches.
For example, remember the person who wanted pages only about Star Trek's original series? We
searched this way:
star trek -voyager -deep -space -nine -next -generation
A better search might use subtraction and multiplication:
"star trek" -voyager -"deep space nine" -"next generation"
Power Searching For Anyone
Search engines have a variety of ways for you to refine and control your searches. Some of them offer
menu systems for this. Others require you to use special commands as part of your query.
For most people, the basic commands covered on the Search Engine Math page will be sufficient. I
encourage you to read the search engine math page first. Get comfortable using the commands that
are described. If you need more power after that, then review the other options on this page.
Boolean commands are NOT shown on this page. See the separate Boolean Searching page for
information about these. If you don't know what Boolean commands are, don't worry about reading the
page on these commands. You probably don't need them.
Not every power searching command is shown on this page, only the main ones that are most likely to
be used. Read the help files at each search engine for more detailed coverage about what they offer.
Match Any
Sometimes you want pages that contain any of your search terms. For example, you may want to find
pages that say either Ireland or Eire. The Search Features Chart shows which search engines will do
this type of search by default, without you needing to specify any commands.
At some search engines, you can do a Match Any search by using a menu next to the search box or
on the advanced search page. The Search Features Chart lists where this is possible.
Keep in mind that most search engines will automatically first list pages that have all your terms, then
some of your terms, when you perform a Match Any search.
Some search engine specific notes are below:
AltaVista
At AltaVista, testing shows that Match Any is most likely what will happen in response to a default
search. Earlier in 2001, AltaVista had said that Match Any would only occur if you searched for five
words or more. This no longer seems to be the case. The article below explains what AltaVista
previously said would happen:
Blending Vertical Results & Other AltaVista Improvements
The Search Engine Report, March 5, 2001
Match All
This is a search for pages containing all of your search terms, rather than any of them. For example,
you may want to find pages with references to both Clinton and Dole on the same page.
Practically all major search engines support the + symbol as a means of doing a Match All search.
These are listed on the Search Features Chart. The chart also shows which search engines will
perform a Match All search by default, even if you don't use the + symbol.
See the Search Engine Math page for more specific help on using the + symbol. Some search engine
specific notes are below:
AOL Search
By default, AOL Search will look for any sites in its Open Directory information that contain all the
words you enter. It will check both the words in the Open Directory listing and the words on the page
that the listing leads to.
AOL Search will not check for matches in its Inktomi listings UNLESS there are absolutely no Open
Directory listings that match all words. However, if you use AOL Search's advanced search page (see
the Search Assistance page) and choose the "On the Web Only" option, then your search will be
conducted against only Inktomi's listings.
Exclude
Most major search engines allow you to exclude documents that contain certain words. This is a
helpful way to narrow a search.
For example, you may want a page about the philosopher Calvin, not the cartoon character Calvin. By
excluding pages that mention Hobbes, the cartoon character's sidekick, you will get better results.
The best way to do this is by using the - command, which is supported by practically all major search
engines. These are listed on the Search Features Chart.
See the Search Engine Math page for more specific help on using the - symbol.
Site Search
One of the most powerful features available is the ability to control what sites are included or excluded
from a search. For example, imagine you wanted to see all the pages from the Mars Exploration web
site run by the NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. At AltaVista, you could use this command:
host:mars.jpl.nasa.gov
In response, AltaVista would display all the pages it has indexed from the mars.jpl.nasa.gov domain.
More about using the site search command to find web pages from a particular web site is described
on the Checking Your URL page.
Now imagine you wanted to find all the pages from the Mars Exploration web sites that also mention
Venus and Jupiter. You could do that this way:
host:mars.jpl.nasa.gov venus jupiter
That tells AltaVista to list pages with the words "venus" and "jupiter" that are within the Mars
Exploration web site.
You can even combine other commands, such as those described on the Search Engine Math page.
For instance, look at this example:
host:mars.jpl.nasa.gov -"mars pathfinder"
Here, we are telling AltaVista to list all pages within the Mars Exploration web site that do not contain
the exact phrase "mars pathfinder."
Now, imagine you are looking for information about Mars landings but are getting overwhelmed by
results from NASA. You can get rid of NASA pages by doing this:
"mars exploration " -host:nasa.gov
In that example, we are looking for the phrase "mars landings" but excluding any pages from sites that
end in nasa.gov. That means we will NOT get pages from sites like these
mars.jpl.nasa.gov
spacekids.hq.nasa.gov
cmex.arc.nasa.gov.
We could even decide to see all pages about Mars landing from US educational sites, which end
in .edu, like this:
"mars landings" +host:edu
Finally, imagine you live outside the US and want to see results that are predominately from your
country. Here's how someone in the UK might search for football (soccer) information:
"football scores" +host:uk
This finds pages that say "football scores" and which are from sites that end in the .uk domain, which
is used for UK-based sites.
Search Engine Specific Issues
The examples shown above all use the command that works at AltaVista. The same examples work at
Google, FAST Search and some Inktomi-powered search engines, if you use the corresponding site
search command that these each offer. The site search command for each of these search engines is
listed on the Search Features Chart. The Checking Your URL page provides some additional search
engine specific guidance.
Often, search engines that support a site search command also make this possible to do using their
advanced search pages. In addition, I'd highly recommend downloading the Google Toolbar. Once
you've done this, when visiting any web site, you can use the toolbar's "Search site" button to search
within just that web site.
Finally, for search engines that don't offer a site search command, you may find that there is a URL
Search command that provides a similar ability.
URL Search
Several search engines offer the ability to search within the text of a URL. This is very similar to
performing a site search. The Search Features Chart shows which search engines have this capability
and the exact command to use. Some additional search engine specific notes are below:
Excite
Excite has a "site" command as explained in the Site Search section, but this command cannot be
combined with search terms in an attempt to locate pages on a particular topic from a particular web
site or to filter out pages from a particular web site. For example, this query wouldn't work:
mars exploration -site:mars.jpl.nasa.gov
However, you can use the URL command to get a similar result. For instance:
mars exploration -url:mars.jpl.nasa.gov
would work to list pages about "mars exploration" but would remove any that came from the
mars.jpl.nasa.gov site. Be aware that when using the URL command in this way, only the exact site
listed will be removed. For example, this query:
mars exploration -url:nasa.gov
would remove pages from nasa.gov but still allow pages from mars.jpl.nasa.gov to appear, since that
is a different web site.
However, when using the + command, then any sites containing the core domain will be included. In
other words, this command:
mars exploration +url:nasa.gov
would bring up pages from any site that has nasa.gov in the URL, such as
mars.jpl.nasa.gov
spacekids.hq.nasa.gov
cmex.arc.nasa.gov.
Google
Google's advanced search page uses the allinurl command for finding URLs that contain certain words,
as described more on the Checking Your Listing page. However, it is the undocumented "inurl"
command that you should use, if you want to find both web pages with words in the URL and within
the pages themselves.
For example, let's say you want to find PDF files about mars exploration. Entering "mars exploration"
isn't enough, because that could bring back both HTML and PDF pages. To solve this, you can use
the inurl command to specify that URLs must have the word "pdf" in them, which will increase the
chances of getting PDF files. Here's both commands, combined:
mars exploration inurl:pdf
If you used the "allinurl" command rather than the "inurl" command, this search wouldn't work.
By the way, the "allinurl" command takes its name because when using it, you are requiring that ALL
the words appear IN the URL. In contrast, the inurl command means that ANY of the words you
specify should appear.
Google also has a command that lets you narrow your search to find documents in particular formats,
such works better than forcing the URL command into this role. The command is filetype:, and you
follow it with the extension you want to search for. For instance:
california power crisis filetype:pdf
brings back PDF files that contain the words "california power crisis." In contrast:
california power crisis filetype:asp
brings back Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP) files, while
california power crisis filetype:html
brings back ordinary HTML files that end in .html, that contain the words. It will not bring back HTML
files the end in .htm, however. Technically, Google considers those to be a different file type, simply
because the ending is different.
Link Search
Several search engines offer the ability to search for all the pages linking to a particular page or
domain. The Search Features Chart shows which search engines have this capability and the exact
command to use. The Measuring Link Popularity page provides some specific examples.
Title Searching
Updated: March 11, 2003
Many of the major crawler-based search engines allow you to search within the HTML title of a web
page. This is the text that appears within the title tag of a document. For example, this page that you
are reading now has an HTML title like this:
If someone were to do a title search for "power searching," then this page might appear, because
those words appear in the HTML title. To learn more about the title tag, see the How To Use HTML
Meta Tags page.
All the major crawlers offer a title search option, though the exact command and how it operates
varies, as explained below.
AllTheWeb, AltaVista & Inktomi (via HotBot)
AllTheWeb, AltaVista and Inktomi (as accessed via HotBot) use the title: command, where you follow
the command with the word you want to find in the title of documents. For example, if you wanted to
find all the pages listed that had the word "mars" in their titles, you would do this:
title:mars
What if you wanted to find pages that had two different words in their titles, such as "mars" and
"landings"? Then you need to prefix both words with the title: command, like this:
title:mars title:landings
That will bring back pages that have both words in their titles, regardless of where exactly the words
appear within the title. In other words, pages with these different titles would all be found:
Future Mars Landings
Mission to Mars: The Landings
China targeting landings on the Moon, Mars
What if you wanted pages that had the words in particular order, such as "mars landings" in that order?
Then use the phrase search command (described more on the Search Engine Math page), prefixed by
the title: command, like this:
title:"mars landings"
Performing a search like that means that only pages with those words, in that exact order, would be
found. In other words, in the example page titles shown above, only this page would be retrieved:
Future Mars Landings
Please note that searching for phrases within titles as shown above does NOT work with Inktomi, but
testing shows it does work with AllTheWeb and AltaVista.
Google & Teoma
To title search at Google and Teoma, you need to use the intitle: command. This means to find a
single word like "mars" within the title of documents, you would enter:
intitle:mars
What if you want to find multiple words in the title of documents, such as "mars" and "landings"? At
Teoma, all testing indicates that you can simply add these words after the intitle: command, like this:
intitle:mars landings
With Google, use the allintitle: command, which means that Google will find documents that have ALL
the words you specify in their page title. The command would be used like this:
allintitle:mars landings
As for phrase searching within the title of documents, use the quotation marks to surround an exact
phrase, prefixed by the intitle: command, like this:
intitle:"mars landings"
Wildcards (*)
You can search for plurals or variations of words using a wildcard character. It is also a great way to
search if you don’t know the spelling of a word.
The * symbol is used as the wildcard symbol at several major search engines, as listed on the Search
Features Chart. The format looks like this:
sing* finds singing and sings
theat* finds theater and theatre
Some of the search engines offering wildcard search also support what is called "stemming." That
means they will find terms like "singing" even if you only enter "sing." This also means you may not
need to use a wildcard symbol. See the Search Assistance page for more information on stemming.
Below are some important additional details about wildcard searching at specific search engines.
AOL Search
At AOL Search, the ? symbol serves as a wildcard and will replace any single character, such as:
s?ng matches sing, sang, song
This only works to find matches in AOL Search's Open Directory information. It does not work to bring
back matches from Inktomi-powered listings, as explained further below.
Inktomi
Inktomi has two wildcard commands. The * symbol will match one or more characters, such as:
sing* matches sings, singers, singing
The ? symbol matches any single character, and you can use it more than once. For instance:
s?ng matches sing, sang, song
??ng matches ring, rang, sing, sang and
any other four letter word ending in ng
Both commands only work reliably at iWon, at the time of this writing. They fail to function properly at
AOL Search, HotBot, MSN Search or LookSmart to bring up matches from within the Inktomi listings
that they use.
They also do not appear to bring up matches in wildcard fashion from any of the other data sets these
services use, with the exception of AOL Search (see AOL Search section, above).
Northern Light
Like Inktomi above, Northern Light has two wildcard commands. The * symbol will match one or more
characters, while % is used to match just a single character.
Anchor Search
Some search engines allow you to search specifically within the "anchor" or "link" text that appears on
a web page. For example, consider this example:
Click Here For the Mars Exploration Web Site
Notice the words "Mars Exploration Web Site" are all contained within the hyperlink? This is the
anchor text or the link text.
Search engines that support anchor text searching are listed on the Search Features Chart.
Proximity
Some search engines let you indicate how close words should appear to each other. Most people do
not need this type of control. Usually, phrase searching is all you need. If you still feel you need control
over proximity, see the NEAR section of the Boolean Searching page.
More Power Search Commands
Several of the major search engines offer additional commands that allow you to search by media type,
to search within ALT text or link text, and other types of queries. Several search engines offer
dedicated help pages that explain these, as listed below. All links were verified as of March 11, 2003:
AllTheWeb: Query Language
http://www.alltheweb.com/help/faqs/query_language.html
AltaVista: Special Search Terms
http://www.altavista.com/help/adv_search/syntax
Google: Advanced Search Operators
http://www.google.com/help/operators.html
Teoma: Advanced Search Tips
http://sp.teoma.com/docs/teoma/about/advsearchtips.html
Search Assistance Features
Related Searches
A related searches feature is designed to help users narrow in on what they are looking for. For
example, let's say you searched for "mars." When the results appeared, you might also be shown
some related searches links, such as "mission to mars" or "life on mars." If you selected one of these
links, a new search would be conducted, using the words you clicked on. This can help you be more
specific in your query, which often leads to better results.
AltaVista
Displays related searches near the top of the results page, next to the words "Others searched for."
AllTheWeb.com
Displays related searches near the top of the results page, next to the words "Narrow your search."
MSN Search
Displays related searches in the "Popular Topics" area below the search box, on the results page.
Yahoo
At Yahoo, related searches appear at the bottom of its results page.
Clustering
Have you ever done a search and found the top results all seem to come from one site? Clustering
prevents this. Clustering generally allows only one or two pages per site to be represented in the top
results. This means that you get more variety and a better chance of quickly finding something of
interest. The section below highlights how this feature works at the major services that offer it.
AltaVista
AltaVista clusters listings so that no more than two pages per site appear in its results. If a second
page from a particular web site is listed, it will be indented under the first page. To see more results
from a site, select the "Additional relevant pages from this site" link, if it appears for a particular listing.
AllTheWeb.com
Clustering is on by default and will prevent more than two pages from the same web site from being
displayed. It can be overridden by changing the Site Collapsing option on the Search Customization
page (see the Customizing Results section below). You can also view more pages from any particular
site listed by selecting the "more hits from" link that follows the listing.
Google
Google clusters so that no more than two pages per site appear in its results. If a second page is listed,
it will be "indented" under the first page. To see more results from a site, select the "More results from"
link that will appear below the second page listed.
HotBot
At HotBot, clustering is on by default. However, it only works within the listings provided by Inktomi. To
turn off clustering, go to the advanced search page, then in the "Best Page Only" section, check the
"Disable Best Page Only Filter" box. You can also view more pages from any particular site listed by
selecting the "See results from this site only" link that follows the listing.
MSN Search
Clustering at MSN Search has to be enabled from its advanced search page. Look for the "Show one
result per domain" option and select it to start clustering.
Find Similar
Did you find a web page in the search results that seemed perfect -- it was exactly what you were
looking for? A "Find Similar" feature tells the search engine to seek out other pages that seem similar
to those you like. The section below highlights how this feature works at the major services that offer it.
AltaVista
Click on the "Related pages" link that appears at the bottom of each listing.
AOL Search
Click on the "Show me more like this" option that appears at the bottom of each page listed. This takes
you to where that page is categorized within the version of the Open Directory that AOL users. That
can help you find similar web sites.
AltaVista
Click on the "Similar pages" link that appears at the end of each listing.
Stemming
Stemming is the ability for a search engine to search for variations of a word based on its stem. For
example, entering "swim" might also find "swims" and maybe "swimming," depending on the search
engine.
The Search Features Chart shows which search engines will do stemming by default and those that
allow it to be switched on as an option. Some search engine specific notes are also below.
Inktomi
Inktomi-powered HotBot & MSN Search) provide stemming as an option. To enable it, go to the
advanced search pages of each search engine, then
At HotBot, check the "Enable Word Stemming" box.
At MSN Search, see below.
MSN Search
This appears to be on permanently, at least for some queries. For example, a search for "run," "runs"
and "running" in Oct. 2001 found the same results. Oddly, using the "Enable Stemming" box on MSN
Search's advanced search page actually causes no results to appear.
Search Within
Ever do a search and still feel like you have too many results? Instead of trying a new search, you
might have more luck narrowing down the set of matches you've already generated. Some search
engines make this easy through a "Search Within" feature. The section below highlights how this
feature works at the major services that offer it.
AltaVista
After performing a search, check the "Search within these results" box under the search box, on the
results page.
Google
After performing a search, click on the "Search within results" link that appears at the bottom of the
results page, next to the search box, on the results page.
HotBot
After performing a search, check the "Search within these results" box that appears n, next to the
search box, on the results page.
LookSmart
You cannot search within results generated from a keyword search on the LookSmart home page.
However, if you navigate to any particular category, you can then search for matching sites that
appear only within that category and its subcategories. To do this, when in a category, change the
drop down box at the top of the category page from "the Web" to the second option, which will be the
name of the category you are in.
Lycos
At Lycos, choose the "Search these results" option which appears next to the search box, at the top of
the results page.
Yahoo
At Yahoo, you can't run a search and then search within it. But you can go to any category and then
choose to search just within that section. Just look for the appropriate options near the search boxes
that appear within the categories.
Spidered Version
It can be helpful to see the exact version of a web page that was presented to a search engine's
spider. This is good for those times when a page no longer exists, allowing you to still find the
information. It's also essential if you want to determine if a search engine spider was shown something
different than what a human user sees. In fact, some webmasters may "pagejack" someone else's
web page, feeding it to a search engine in hopes of attaining a good ranking. For more information
about this, see the pagejacking section of the Search Engines and Legal Issues page.
Only Google allows you to see the actual page it spidered, through its "Cached" feature. When you
search, a "Cached" link may appear below some pages that are listed. Click on this, and you'll be
shown the page that was indexed, and any of your search terms will be highlighted.
You can also bring up the spidered version using Google's cache command. Simple enter the URL of
a page after cache: and omitting the http:// prefix. For instance, to see the cached version of this page,
you would enter this into Google:
cache:searchenginewatch.com/facts/assistance.html
Search By Language
Sometimes you may want to find pages written in a particular language. For example, you might want
travel advice about Paris written in French. If you search for "paris," you'll probably get many pages
written in English, since the city is spelled the same way in English and French. However, with a
search by language option, you can specify that only pages written in French should be returned.
Searching by language isn't perfect. Search engines generally use dictionaries of terms specific to
different languages to identify a page's language when spidering it. That means pages with content
written in several different languages may not be categorized properly. Additionally, because this is an
automated process, it can suffer from the mistakes that any automated system may have.
Below is how to search by language, at search engines that offer this feature.
AltaVista & AllTheWeb.com
Use the drop-down box that appears next to the search box on the home page and results page, to
search in a particular language that's offered.
Google, Lycos
Use the advanced search page to search by language at these services.
MSN Search
Use the "Language" drop-down box on the advanced search page to search by language through
Inktomi's crawler-based results.
Page Translation
Some search engines allow you to translate web pages they list into different languages. That's helpful
if you see a page you are interested in but it is written in a language you don't understand. Below is
how to do translation at search engines that offer this.
AltaVista & Lycos
Click on the "Translate" link that appears at the bottom of each listing.
Google
Click on the "Translate this page" link that appears next to the title of pages that are not in English,
when using the main Google.com web site.
Porn Filter
Some search engines allow you to filter out pages that may lead to pornographic web sites or sites
with content that might be considered offensive to some people. They generally do this by scanning
pages for pornographic terms at the time they are indexed. "Block" lists and human review is also
conducted.
Porn filters are not perfect, but they can be especially helpful if you are working with children and want
to minimize the risk of them seeing sexually explicit or offensive terms in the results that appear.
For tips on enabling porn filters at several major search engines, please see the Kids Search Engines
page within Search Engine Watch.
Customize Results
Wouldn't it be nice to see more than the 10 results at a time that are usually displayed at most search
engines? Perhaps you might want to see just the titles of matching web pages. Some search engines
allow you to customize your results in this way, usually via advanced search pages or from menu
options. The Search Features Chart shows how many results are shown at each search engine by
default and up to how many you can choose to see.
Below are links to special customization pages offered by some search engines:
AltaVista Customize Settings
http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?pref=res&stype=stext&Translate=on&sc=on
AllTheWeb
http://www.alltheweb.com/customize
Google
http://www.google.com/help/customize.html
MSN Search
http://search.msn.com/Preference.asp
Sort By Date
Sort by date sounds like a great idea, but there are big problems with dates on the web. Some web
servers report incorrect dates or no dates at all.
For instance, Go's engineers estimated in 1998 (back when the search engine still existed) that only
70 percent of web servers returned the correct date, while 20 percent reported the current date,
regardless of when the page was created or changed. The remaining 10 percent of the time, the web
servers reported no date at all. Northern Light also found similar problems, as outlined in this article:
Northern Light Adds Search Functions, Freshens Index.
Still, date sorting is a nice feature to have, and one that many professionals want. When you choose
the option, they list pages with newer dates first. At MSN Search, you'll find this option on the
advanced search page. Use the "Sort equally relevant results by" box.
Keep in mind that often when people want to sort by date, they are often trying to get the latest
information on a news topic. In these cases, it is better to use a news search engine. See the News
Search Engines page for a list of these helpful services.
Also see:
It's Tough to Get a Good Date with a Search Engine
SearchDay, June 5, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2160061
Search engines have problems with calendar information. Bottom line: you may end up searching for
dates in all the wrong places.
Date Range
Some search engines let you restrict a search so that only pages within a particular date range are
displayed. This feature can suffer from the fact that web page dates can be unreliable, as described
above. However, it can also be useful, especially as a means of determining how fresh a search
engine's listings are.
For example, if you restrict a search to find pages less than a month old and don't get any matches,
you have a pretty good idea that the search engine's listings are out of date.
See the Search Features Chart for which search engines offer this option on their advanced search
pages.
Date Display
Along with the page description, some search engines show the date when a web page was created
or modified. As noted above, these dates may not always be reliable. However, they do provide a
useful clue as to how fresh or stale a search engine's listings are. Thus, search engines that show a
date deserve praise for doing so.
See the Search Features Chart for which search engines display a date. When no date is reported,
these search engines above will instead display the date the page was spidered.
Northern Light is an exception. In these cases, it won't report a date at all.
Directories don't spider pages, but they can display when a listing was manually added or updated, if
desired.
Advanced Search Page
Most of the search services have advanced search pages designed to let you have more control over
your search or to guide you into creating more complex queries. However, these are sometimes hard
to find. To help, here are links that will take you directly to each service's advanced search pages.
Links were verified as of March 11, 2003:
AllTheWeb: Advanced Search
http://www.alltheweb.com/advanced
AltaVista: Advanced Web Search
http://www.altavista.com/web/adv
Google: Advanced Search
http://www.google.com/advanced_search
HotBot: Advanced Search
http://www.hotbot.com/adv.asp
NOTE: By default, this will be the advanced search page to get Inktomi results from HotBot. Change
your search engine choice by using the options under the search box, and the advanced search page
will change to suit the choice you've selected.
Lycos: Advanced Search Filters
http://search.lycos.com/adv.asp
MSN Search: Advanced Search Options
http://search.msn.com/advanced.aspx
Teoma: Advanced Search
http://s.teoma.com/AdvancedSearch
Yahoo: Advanced Search
http://search.yahoo.com/search/options
Help Pages
Many services provide more information on advanced searching techniques and features within their
help pages. The links below will take you directly to them. Links were verified as of March 11, 2003:
AllTheWeb: Help & FAQ
http://www.alltheweb.com/help/
AltaVista: Search Help
http://www.altavista.com/help/search/default
AOL Search: Search Help
http://search.aol.com/aolcom/help.jsp
Ask Jeeves: Help
http://sp.ask.com/docs/help/
Google: Help Central
http://www.google.com/help/
HotBot: Help
http://help.lycos.com/LycosHelp/help/hotbot/htdocs/hotbot_1_help.htm
Lycos Help
http://help.lycos.com/LycosHelp/help/search/htdocs/search_1_help.htm
Teoma: Basic Search Tips
http://sp.teoma.com/docs/teoma/about/searchtips.html
Yahoo: Search Help
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/ysearch/
Search Features Chart
Search Engine Math Commands
Updated: March 11, 2003
Covers: AllTheWeb, AltaVista, AOL Search, Ask Jeeves, Google, HotBot, Lycos, MSN Search, Teoma
and Yahoo. HotBot references are only for its Inktomi-powered results.
Command How Supported By
Must
Include + All
Term
Must
Exclude - All
Term
Must Include
"" All
Phrase
Match
Automatic
All All
at
Terms
AllTheWeb, AltaVista, Google,
Lycos, MSN Search, Teoma, Yahoo
Via Advanced Search
(HotBot offers but failed to work when
tested)
Match
Any AltaVista, AOL Search, Ask Jeeves,
Terms Google, HotBot, MSN Search,
Teoma, Yahoo
OR
(must be done in ALL CAPS)
AllTheWeb, Lycos
(only works for two words)
NOTE: By default, all the major search engines named above will match ALL of the terms you enter
into a search box. This means that it is not necessary to use the + symbol in front of a particular word,
though it won't hurt if you do so.
Power Searching Commands
(See Power Searching For Anyone for more details)
This section is being updated to cover the major crawler-based search engines of AllTheWeb,
AltaVista, Google, Inktomi and Teoma. These crawlers also provide results to other search engines,
so you may find commands on them work with their partners. Major partnerships are as follows:
AllTheWeb (Lycos), Google (AOL Search, Yahoo), Inktomi (HotBot), MSN Search (Inktomi), Teoma
(Ask Jeeves)
Command How Supported By
title: AltaVista, AllTheWeb, Inktomi
Title Search
Google
(Updated March intitle:
Teoma
11, 2003)
allintitle: Google
host: AltaVista
Site
Search site: Excite, Google (Netscape, Yahoo)
AllTheWeb,
url.host:
Lycos (for AllTheWeb results only)
domain: Inktomi (HotBot, iWon, LookSmart)
AOL, Direct Hit, HotBot, LookSmart, Lycos, MSN,
none
Netscape, Northern Light, Open Directory, Yahoo
url: AltaVista, Excite, Northern Light
AllTheWeb,
url.all:
Lycos (for AllTheWeb results only)
allinurl:
Google
inurl:
URL Search Inktomi
originurl:
(AOL, GoTo, HotBot)
u: Yahoo
AOL, Direct Hit, HotBot, LookSmart, MSN
none Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
Open Directory
link: AltaVista, Google, Northern Light
Inktomi (AOL, HotBot, iWon, MSN)
linkdomain:
(NOTE: measures links to entire domains)
AllTheWeb,
Link Search link.all:
Lycos (for AllTheWeb results only)
AOL, Direct Hit, Excite, HotBot, LookSmart,
Northern Light
none
Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
Netscape, Yahoo (n/a)
AltaVista, Inktomi (iWon), Northern Light
* Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
Yahoo
Wildcard
? AOL Search, Inktomi (iWon)
% Northern Light
AllTheWeb, Direct Hit, Excite, Google, HotBot, LookSmart,
Lycos, MSN
none
(MSN's help says it offers wildcard,
but it failed to during testing)
anchor: AltaVista
Anchor Search AllTheWeb, AOL Search, Direct Hit, Excite, Google,
None
Inktomi, HotBot, Lycos
NOTE: The commands above are primarily useful when dealing with crawler-based search engines.
"None" indicates any crawler-based or human-powered search engine that creates its own listings but
which does not provide a particular command for searching within those listings. It may also indicate a
portal that that outsources for its listings and which lacks a single command to work across the
multiple datasets it uses.
Search Assistance Features
(See the Search Assistance Features page for more details)
Feature Offered By
AltaVista, AllTheWeb, Excite, HotBot, Lycos, MSN, Yahoo
Related Searches Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
iWon
AltaVista, AllTheWeb, Excite, Google,
Clustering
HotBot, MSN, Northern Light
Find Similar AltaVista, AOL Search, Google
Stemming AOL Search, Direct Hit, HotBot, Inktomi (HotBot, MSN)
Search Within AltaVista, Google, HotBot, Lycos
Spidered Version Google
AltaVista, AllTheWeb, Excite, Google,
Search By Language
HotBot, Lycos, MSN, Northern Light
Page Translation AltaVista, Google, Lycos
Porn Filter AltaVista, AllTheWeb, Google
Porn Warning HotBot, MSN, Northern Light
Customization & Display Features
(See Search Assistance Features page for more details)
Feature Supported By
AltaVista, AllTheWeb, AOL Search (5), Direct Hit,
Number Of Excite, Google, HotBot, LookSmart (15),
Listings Shown Lycos, MSN (15), Northern Light
(10 unless noted) Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
iWon, Netscape, Yahoo (20)
AltaVista, AllTheWeb, Excite, Google, HotBot, MSN
Ability To Increase Number Of Listings? Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
Yahoo
AltaVista, AllTheWeb, Excite, Google, HotBot, MSN
See 20 Results Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
Yahoo
AltaVista, AllTheWeb, Excite, Google, HotBot, MSN
See 50 Results Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
Yahoo
AllTheWeb, Google, HotBot,
See 100 Results Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
Yahoo
Sort By Date MSN Search, Northern Light
AltaVista, Google, HotBot, MSN, Northern Light
Date Range Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
iWon, Yahoo
AltaVista, HotBot (for Inktomi results),
Date Displayed?
Northern Light
Display Titles Only? AltaVista, Excite, HotBot (URLs only option), MSN
Other Major Customize Options AltaVista, AllTheWeb, Google
Boolean Commands
(See Boolean Searching page for more details)
Command How Supported By
AltaVista, AOL Search, Excite, Google,
OR
Inktomi (HotBot, MSN), Lycos, Northern Light
Or AllTheWeb, Direct Hit, LookSmart,
None Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
Yahoo
AltaVista, AOL Search, Excite,
AND
Inktomi (HotBot, MSN) Lycos, Northern Light
And AllTheWeb, Direct Hit, Google, LookSmart
None Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
Yahoo
AOL Search, Excite, Inktomi (HotBot),
NOT
Lycos, Northern Light
AltaVista, Inktomi (MSN)
AND
Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
Not NOT
Netscape
AllTheWeb, Direct Hit, Google, LookSmart,
None Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
Yahoo
AltaVista, AOL Search, Excite,
()
Inktomi (MSN), Northern Light
Nesting AllTheWeb, Direct Hit, Google, Inktomi (HotBot), LookSmart, Lycos
None Not yet updated, but may be still correct:
Yahoo
NEAR AltaVista (10 words), AOL Search (specify number), Lycos (25 words)
Near AllTheWeb, Direct Hit, Google,
None
Inktomi (HotBot, MSN), LookSmart
Notes
At AltaVista, Boolean only works on advanced search page.
At Excite, Google & MSN, Boolean commands must be in UPPERCASE
At Inktomi-powered services, set menu to "Boolean"
Search Links: Search Engines Worldwide
By Danny Sullivan, Editor
October 22, 2001
Looking for search engines? This section of Search Engine Watch lists some top choices in various
categories.
The Major Search Engines Paid Listings Search Engines
News Search Engines Metacrawlers
Specialty Search Engines Kids Search Engines
Multimedia Search Engines Country Search Engines
Search Utilities
Search Engine Tutorials
By Danny Sullivan, Editor
February 27, 2004
Looking for help on how to use search engines better? This page provides a guide to key material
within Search Engine Watch, resources across the web and articles written about searching better.
Select a topic below to jump to any section directly
Within Search Engine Watch - Online Resources
Articles From 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 & Earlier
Within Search Engine Watch
Search Engine Math
This teaches you the basic commands that are all most people need to improve their searches.
Power Searching For Anyone
This teaches you advanced commands to help you better control your searches.
Search Assistance Features
Several search engines offer special search assistance features that many users overlook. This page
explains the ones that are particularly useful.
Online Resources
Search Engine Showdown
http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/
Search Engine Showdown is produced by writer and Montana State University Reference Librarian
Greg R. Notess. In it, you'll find good content, ranging from organized comparison charts, reviews,
strategies to searching and more. In particular, Notess does long-standing surveys on search engine
sizes and dead links, as well as providing tutorials and noting search "inconsistencies" for some
search engines -- when they don't operate the way they are supposed to. The site is updated on a
regular basis.
ResearchBuzz
http://www.researchbuzz.com/
Produced by writer Tara Calishain, this site provides great coverage of news and opinion on search
and research tools.
Pandia Search Central
http://www.pandia.com/
Here you'll find an extensive search tutorial, a guide to search engines and search resources, "Q-
cards" with searching tips for major search engines, plus the ability to search Pandia's version of the
Open Directory or to meta search.
Free Pint
http://www.freepint.com//
A free newsletter that comes out twice per month, Free Pint always seems to be something useful
here relating to searching or doing research on the web.
Google Weblog
http://google.blogspace.com/
Are you Google-obsessive? Then Aaron Swartz's site with posts about all things Google might be for
you.
Finding It Online: Web Search Strategies
http://home.sprintmail.com/~debflanagan/main.html
Tutorial on using search engines, subject directories, and specialty databases to find information on
the Internet fast and effectively.
Searching The World Wide Web
http://www.tilburguniversity.nl/services/library/instruction/www/onlinecourse/
Comprehensive guide to searching the web.
The Spider's Apprentice
http://www.monash.com/spidap.html
Up-to-date information and tips on how to search the web effectively.
LLRX
http://www.llrx.com
LLRX.com is a unique, free Web journal dedicated to providing legal and library professionals with the
most up-to-date information on a wide range of Internet research and technology-related issues,
applications, resources and tools. Don't let the focus on legal issues fool you -- it's an excellent
resource for searchers in all fields.
TVC Alert
http://www.virtualchase.com/tvcalert/
TVC Alert, a free weekday research news bulletin published by legal librarian and search expert Genie
Tyburski, features information industry news affecting library and legal professionals who conduct
research on the Internet. Genie also offers tested research strategies for finding information of
potential interest to library and legal professionals, and regularly reviews quality Web sites. TVC Alert
is a companion to Genie's The Virtual Chase web site, which is loaded with useful information for
searchers.
Abondance
http://www.abondance.com/
This is a Search Engine Watch-like site for France and French-speakers. There are search tips,
guides to major search engines, comparison testing and more. An outstanding resource that makes
me wish I'd had more than a year of French.
Articles From 2004
NOTE: Article links often change. In case of a bad link, use the publication's search facility, which
most have, and search for the headline.
An Extreme Searcher's Guide to the Best of the Web
SearchDay, Feb. 11, 2004
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3311081
One of the world's foremost super searchers has distilled his extensive and wide-ranging knowledge
into an essential guide to the web's highest quality resources.
When a Search Engine Isn't Enough, Call a Librarian
New York Times, Feb. 5, 2004
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/05/technology/circuits/05libr.html
I love librarians and couldn't agree more with this article, which outlines how librarians have
maintained a role as "plan B" for when a search engine fails to come through. Search engines do not
have the total sum of human knowledge, and we found information without them for the vast majority
of our history. I'm glad to have them, but I also understand that all the other tools I always used still
remain useful.
By the way, a search for "what was the name of Ross Perot's political party?" brought up the answer
(The Reform Party) on Google within seconds, and from authoritative sources such as CNN, the
InfoPlease facts database, MSN Encarta and the US Department of State. So despite this being the
story's opening anecdote of search engine failure (the librarian resorted to an encyclopedia), Google
at least did fine in my check. But in other searches, I might reach for my own encyclopedia, as well.
(permalink to this item)
Hidden Google Tools
SearchDay, Jan. 28, 2004
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3304771
Even if you consider yourself a Google expert, these 'hidden' tools and resources let you push the
search engine's capabilities to the max.
Happy Google Hacks Week 2004 #2: Search Sinker
ResearchBuzz, Jan. 20, 2004
http://www.researchbuzz.org/archives/001403.shtml
Ever wish you could help Google understand that a particular word in your query is more important
than another? Here's a handy form to let you do that. You can also see the results to learn how to do
this yourself -- in short, repeat the word you want to prioritize.
Super Searchers on Madison Avenue
SearchDay, Jan. 6, 2004
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3295391
In the high pressure world of advertising, researchers need to be both good and fast. In the most
recent addition to the Super Searcher series, some of Madison Avenue's best information sleuths
share their secrets
Articles From 2003
Is Google good for you?
BBC, Dec. 19, 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3334531.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3362913.stm
BBC technology columnist Bill Thompson plans to break his Google addiction in hopes of finding more
refined search tools that he's sure exist. The truth is somewhere in between. Many people are indeed
addicted to Google and fail to seek other resources, when they should. But Google isn't exactly sickly
sweet Coke or fast food for search. It still manages to provide a decent meal much of the time.
You shouldn't feel you need to "give up" Google because its somehow "bad" for you, any more than
you should give up any search engine that is working for you. But when things don't taste right for a
particular query, yes! Get out of the restaurant and try something new.
The second URL leads to a follow-up article by Thompson, as he pursues his New Year's resolution,
exploring some of the many alternative search tools out there. (permalink to this item)
Google generation needs fun toys
USA Today, Dec. 14, 2003
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2003-12-14-commentary_x.htm
Ugh. Just when you thought Google couldn't be put on a higher pedestal, now we get an attempt to
christen an entire "Google Generation." These are kids and teens used to being able to access facts
(remember, some facts, not all of them) quickly via search engines (of which Google is but one).
Not so sure of the attempt to then tie this into buying the right toys. However, the idea that there's a
generation that assumes everything is on the web and only a search away is correct -- and somewhat
sad. Most of the world's knowledge is not on the internet, so if you want to be hip and hot about
locating information, you'll understand how to use other information resources such as, hmm, a library.
What Happened To My Searches On Google?
SearchEngineWatch.com, Dec. 7, 2003
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3286181
Many webmasters have found that recent changes at Google have hurt them. But does all the hue and
cry over Google's recent algorithm change have any impact on searchers? There are some
developments worth noting, and this article takes a Q&A approach to examine them.
20 Great Google Secrets
PC Magazine, Oct. 28, 2003
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1306756,00.asp
Even if you use Google regularly, you may find some useful search tips in this article from Google
Hacks coauthor Tara Calishain.
Search the Web More Efficiently
Pandia, October 2003
http://www.pandia.com/features/search-the-web-1.html
Multipart article with a variety of useful tips on how to search better.
Using Google to Search Your Personal Blogsphere
SearchDay, Sept. 29, 2003
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3082561
Adding a free 'blogs I read' search box to your own weblog provides your readers with an easy way to
use Google to search the web, your site or just the blogs you read.
Search Engines Uncover Compromising Documents
SearchDay, Aug. 19, 2003
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3064881
Using a search engine and free software tools, it's possible to dig up hidden -- even deleted --
information in documents posted to public web sites.
Google Inconsistencies
Search Engine Showdown, Aug. 17. 2003
http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/features/google/inconsistent.shtml
Covers why various types of searches at Google may not operate in the way you expect them to,
based on how Google's help pages describe.
Fraud, Scams and Misinformation on the Web
SearchDay, Aug. 13, 2003
http://searchenginewatch.com/sereport/article.php/2227161
Although the web is rife with bogus pages and deceptive 'information,' it's surprising that even content
from typically reliable, authoritative sources can't always be trusted.
Gems from the Congressional Research Service
SearchDay, Aug. 12, 2003
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2236441
High quality, non-partisan research created for members of the U.S. Congress is freely available on
the web -- if you know where to search for it.
Google Field Search Problems
SearchEngineShowdown, July 10, 2003
http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/newsarchive/000687.shtml
I'm glad Greg Notess wrote this up -- I meant to for the newsletter earlier this month but ran short of
time. Yes, the intitle and inurl commands are definitely broken at Google, which the company
acknowledges. They told me at the end of June that this was anticipated to be a temporary problem
and one caused by system upgrades. Supposedly, it will be corrected in the near future.
Who Cares About Information Quality?
SearchDay, June 17, 2003
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2214431
Who cares about reliable, up-to-date information? For best results, you should ask yourself this very
important question before beginning your search.
Maximum Google
PC World, June 2003
-- no longer online --
Article has 25 tips on using Google in ways you might not know about.
Why Google Hacks is a Bestseller
SearchDay, May 22, 2003
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2209681
Google Hacks is loaded with geeky tips and tweaks, but its real strength lies in its readability and
genuine appeal to all searchers, regardless of skill level.
Search engine secrets revealed
BBC, May 18, 2003
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3033385.stm
After studying over 600 user queries, Penn State University researchers advise that the best strategy
is to become familiar with one search engine and use its more advanced features to restructure your
queries, rather than try other search engines. I haven't read the study myself yet, but I still wouldn't
discount the value of trying other search engines.
Misquoting Google
Poynteronline, May 1, 2003
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=32&aid=32072
I see the types of mistakes mentioned in this article made all the time. If you're going to cite how many
matches Google (or other search engines) come up with, you need to be very careful that you
understand what exactly happened when you conducted your search.
How to Succeed as an Information Professional
SearchDay, May 14, 2003
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2204861
Ever dreamed of being paid to search? A new book provides a comprehensive roadmap for turning
your dream of being a professional searcher into a successful reality.
Making Search Fun with Internet Scavenger Hunts!
About.com Web Search Guide, April 2003
http://websearch.about.com/library/weekly/aa040303a.htm
Want to teach students how to search better? Why not send them on an internet scavenger hunt?
Information on how these work and ways to find existing ones you can tap into.
Honing Your Web Searching Skills
SearchDay, Mar. 25, 2003
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2175181
Want to sharpen your Internet searching skills? A series of "teach yourself" tutorials developed by a
group of subject and information experts offers a first-rate learning experience for novices and experts
alike.
New Allies in the Fight Against Research by Googling
The Chronicle Of Higher Education, March 21, 2003
http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i28/28a03301.htm
Before Google there were libraries. And libraries contain unique resources that remain valid, despite
the omniscience incorrectly associated with Google and search engines in general, by some students.
A look at how librarians are trying to raise awareness of other information resources that are available.
Hunting for Google's Cache
SearchEngineShowdown.com, Feb. 10, 2003
http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/newsarchive/000631.shtml
Darn! Google didn't cache it. Well, maybe they did, and you just need to know how to look more
closely for the cached copy. Greg Notess shows you how.
No Charge: Public Libraries Provide Full-Text Access to Databases!
SearchDay, Jan. 15, 2003
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2161631
A persistent myth says that you can find "everything" on the web. Not even close! Fortunately, many
public libraries offer free access to a wealth of online databases that are often much higher quality
than what you can (or can't) find on the web.
The Chain of Demand
Searcher, Jan. 2003
-- no longer online --
Wow. US Secretary of State Colin Powell apparently has no encyclopedias, dictionaries or reference
materials in his office, since the web -- and in particular search engines -- can provide it all. Well, my
Random House Handbook and AP Style Guide still sit happily on my shelf and get the occasional use.
Yeah, search engines are great, but they remain one tool -- not the only tool, for your reference needs.
Barbara Quint looks at Powell's statement and anticipates librarians feeling concerned. She advocates
not a "back to books" campaign but instead a different way of delivering information electronically.
Articles From 2002
Using Search Engines to Fill in the Blank
SearchDay, Dec. 10, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2161361
Rather than agonizing over formulating the perfect query, take advantage of the power of search
engines to easily "fill in the blank" for the answer to many types of questions.
Ferrari Searching on a Volkswagen Budget
SearchDay, December 4, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2161321
Don't let the "high cost" of value-added information services such as LexisNexis, Dialog and Factiva
scare you away -- all three offer reasonable pay-as-you-go options appealing even to searchers on a
limited budget.
Librarianship after Google
American Libraries, Oct. 2002
http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/inetlibrarian/2002columns1/october2002librarianship.htm
The question librarians should be asking isn't "Is Google going to put us out of business" but instead
are search engines going to do so. And since we've had libraries survive the roughly eight years that
we've had functional search engines, I think they'll make it a bit longer. Yes, librarians need to
understand how search engines will fit in with their patrons' needs and habits. However, the world's
knowledge is not entirely on the web and thus not all in Google. Librarians still have an important role
to play.
Super Searcher Guides to the Best of the Web
SearchDay, September 25, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2160841
The Super Searchers web page is a gateway to thousands of exceptional web sites in ten subject
areas, featuring hand selected links from some of the savviest web users on the planet.
New Search Engine Resource Center
SearchDay, Aug. 28, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2160651
The Law Library Resource Xchange (LLRX) offers an excellent collection of articles, links and news
that should be on every serious searcher's short list of must-read resources.
Find It Online: A Searcher's Baedeker
SearchDay, Aug. 27, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2160641
The third edition of Alan Schlein's 'Find It Online' is both a guided tour of the web's most interesting
and exotic information resources, and a hands-on tutorial for becoming a searching expert.
Battling Information Overload
SearchDay, August 21, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2160601
Deluged with data? Coping with copiousness? Try these techniques for conquering info glut from
internationally renowned super searcher Mary Ellen Bates.
Stumped? Ask the Library of Congress
SearchDay, Aug. 15, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2160561
Some of the world's best 'search engines' work at the U.S. Library of Congress, and they're available
online to answer your questions by chat or email.
The Seven Deadly Nyms
SearchDay, Aug. 7, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2160501
Virtuous searching takes more than hard work and clean thinking -- you must keep constant vigilance
against the seven deadly nyms that can play the devil with your search results.
An Egyptian Stumper for Google -- Or Is It?
SearchDay, May 28, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2160001
A "simple" query that seems like a no-brainer for Google turns out to be an excellent illustration of why
you can't find "everything" on the Internet and even when you can, the "answer" may not necessarily
be correct.
Seven Stupid Searching Mistakes, Concluded
SearchDay, Mar. 28, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/02/sd0328-stupid2.html
It's easy to make mistakes using search engines. Continuing with yesterday's four common blunders,
this rounds out the seven stupid searching mistakes made by even the most experienced searchers.
To Or is Human
SearchDay, Apr. 9, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2159651
Perhaps no other "advanced" search technique causes more trouble than the incorrect use of the
Boolean OR operator. Here's why this simple little world can wreak havoc on your search results.
The Ten Commandments of Internet Searching
SearchDay, Feb. 27, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2159351
Find the path to searching enlightenment and avoid the temptations that can lure you to commune
with false ideas with these ten commandments of internet searching.
Speed Searching with Lycos Fast Forward
SearchDay, Feb. 14, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2159271
Lycos' new Side Search feature adds a new link to search results that lets you easily preview pages
without having to click back and forth to the result page.
Biography! or, Searching for Famous People
SearchDay, Feb. 13, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2159261
When you're searching for dirt on famous people, skip the major search engines and use these
targeted, highly specialized biographical databases instead.
Searching the Web World Wide
SearchDay, Jan. 22, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2159101
Finding global information often means going beyond your favorite search engine. These strategies
and tactics from 20 expert researchers from around the world can help.
Searching to a Different Beat
SearchDay, Jan. 14, 2002
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2159051
All good journalists are adept at discovering information, and some of the best Internet discovery tools
are maintained by reporters who've published their list of sources on the web.
Articles From 2001 & Earlier
Super Searchers Cover the World
SearchDay, Dec. 6, 2001
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2158341
In Super Searchers Cover the World, some of the world's best international business researchers
share tips, techniques and secrets that help you avoid being a stranger in a strange land.
Web Search Engines FAQS: Questions, Answers, and Issues
Information Today, Oct. 2001
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/oct01/price.htm
In-depth information, resources, tips and advice on web searching from search expert Gary Price.
The Extreme Searcher's Guide to Web Search Engines
SearchDay, July 19, 2001
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/2157351
The Extreme Searcher's Guide to Web Search Engines is one of the most comprehensive,
authoritative and just downright useful guides to what goes on under the hood of the major search
services.
Mining the 'Deep Web' With Specialized Drills
New York Times, Jan. 25, 2001
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/25/technology/25SEAR.html
Long article examining why you might turn to a specialized search tool to find information that ordinary
search engines might miss, be it "Invisible Web" content, news information or on other topics. By the
way, the search I did here was actually for "linda chavez" rather than "chavez," but the results reported
were as dismal.
Customization Options for Web Searching
Online, Jan. 2001
http://www.onlineinc.com/onlinemag/OL2001/net1_01.html
Guide to customizing how you search, for several major search engines.
Searching: Internet Scouring Techniques That Go Beyond the Basics
Smart Computer, Sept. 2000
http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/archive/l0609/06l09/06l09.asp
This article is loaded with lots of good tips and examples on searching better, including a summary of
tips at the end from many major search engines themselves.
Search Engine Inconsistencies
Online, March 2000
http://www.onlineinc.com/onlinemag/OL2000/net3.html
Looks at problems with page counts and processing search commands at some search engines.
Search Toolbars From Major Search Engines
AltaVista Toolbar
http://www.altavista.com/toolbar/default
Provides access to AltaVista web, news and multimedia search, page translation, term highlighting
and pop-up blocking. (Review: AltaVista Introduces Search Toolbar, Aug. 18, 2003)
Ask Jeeves Toolbar
http://sp.ask.com/docs/toolbar/
In addition to searching Ask.com, the Jeeves toolbar lets you limit your search to news, dictionary,
stock market, weather, events, maps, and the Ask Jeeves Kids web sites.
Dogpile Search Toolbar
http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/tbar/
Consolidates a variety of useful web and specialized searches into a single, easy to use interface.
(Review: Dogpile's Toolbar Fetches More than Search Engine Results, June 25, 2003)
Google Deskbar
http://toolbar.google.com/deskbar/
Provides the ability to search with Google from the taskbar within Windows. In other words, you can
search without having to be in your browser.
Google Toolbar
http://toolbar.google.com
Special toolbar for Internet Explorer users that puts a Google search box right into your browser. In
addition, you can use it to see the "PageRank" popularity score of any page you are viewing, search
within the particular site you are viewing, see a previous of "cached" copy of any dead pages, find
pages similar to the one you are viewing, block pop-ups and more. It loads within seconds and is well
worth adding to your browser. Using the toolbar with PageRank enabled sends some information back
to Google. If that concerns you, choose the "Install Without Advanced Features" option. Highly-
recommended. (Review: Google Releases Updated Search Toolbar, June 30, 2003)
HotBot Quick Search Deskbar
http://www.hotbot.com/tools/
Provides instant access to HotBot and is jam-packed with other useful tools and goodies as well.
(Review: HotBot's Swiss Army Knife Deskbar, June 24, 2003)
MSN Toolbar
http://toolbar.msn.com/
Provides the ability to search the web using MSN Search, perform site specific searches, term
highlighting and pop-up blocking.
Teoma Search Bar
http://sp.ask.com/docs/teoma/toolbar/
Provides direct access to Teoma's search results, offers search term highlighting on the pages you
visit, allows access to an online dictionary and provides the ability to email any web page you view.
(Review: Teoma Offers Free Search Toolbar, June 25, 2002)
Yahoo Companion
http://companion.yahoo.com/
Search Yahoo, access Yahoo Mail, check on stocks and more via a toolbar within your browser.
Other Search Toolbars
Advanced Searchbar
http://www.advancedsearchbar.com
Provides access to 60 search engines, plus push button access to disk utilities, webpage translation, a
calculator and other features. Be forewarned: it's a 1MB download.
Alexa
http://download.alexa.com/
Alexa provides access to Google search results plus does a wonderful job of suggesting interesting
sites based on the ones you are visiting -- and much more.
CNET SearchBar
http://www.search.com/guides/sb/main.html
This customizable toolbar is made exclusively for searching on CNET sites including download.com,
news.com, search.com and shopper.com for technology news, and as a shopping search tool for
products from anywhere on the Web.
Copernic Meta Toolbar
http://www.copernic.com/en/products/meta/
Lets you meta search the web via a toolbar integrated into your browser.
Dave's Quick Search Taskbar Toolbar Deskbar
http://www.dqsd.net/
Like the Google Toolbar, this gives you access to Google without having to first visit the Google web
site. Unlike the Google Toolbar, it has a number of other options built into it, such as the ability to
query other search engines such as AllTheWeb and Teoma, as well as a range of specialty search
services. This can be done using a menu-system or by special prefix codes in front of your query. The
toolbar also has a built-in calculator, currency converter, translation tool and other features. This
installs into your Windows taskbar, rather than into your browser. It also requires a 400K download.
GGSearch
http://www.frysianfools.com/ggsearch/
GGSearch is designed to provide toolbar access to the many specialized searches offered by Google,
including Google groups posts, images, links, Uncle Sam, linux, news, BSD, Microsoft, Google
answers, stocks, froogle, some Google labs tools, and others.
Groowe Toolbar
http://www.groowe.com
Here's a toolbar that gives you easy access to searching Google and many other search engines, as
well. With a click, you can query Yahoo, Teoma, AllTheWeb, AltaVista, MSN Search and others. In
addition, it makes it easy to perform specialized searches with many of the search engines it supports.
Get images back from AllTheWeb, or search only against Yahoo's human directory, or get news
results back from AltaVista. It's a quick download and highly-recommended.
Googlebar
http://googlebar.mozdev.org/
Got Netscape but you want the Google Toolbar, which is only for Internet Explorer? Then check out
the volunteer-created Googlebar for Netscape.
Gophoria
http://www.gophoria.com/
This simple utility allows you to highlight any word or words on a web page, then click to do a Google
search, or to get dictionary or thesaurus definitions. Fast 100K download.
Macintosh SearchGoogle.service
http://gu.st/proj/SearchGoogle.service/
A simple background service to allow you to select text in (nearly) any application and press "Shift-
Apple->" to launch a Google search for that text.
metaEureka A-Toolbar
http://www.metaeureka.com/download.shtml
Lets you get results from metaEureka, a meta search engine that hits several major web-wide search
engines. Alternatively, you can also choose to search against specific search engines, as well. Beyond
searching, you can use the toolbar to prescreen your email for spam, translate words into different
languages, do dictionary lookups, check the time in various countries, convert currencies and much
more. You can also get information about a particular URL, count links to that URL from various
search engines, do a basic position check and get a keyword density report for a particular page
(single words only, not phrases). Among network tools is the ability to telnet, ping, traceroute, do DNS
and WHOIS lookups.
Trellian Toolbar
http://www.trellian.com/toolbar/
The Trellian toolbar allows you to search multiple engines, returning up to nine result pages for each
engine. It also offers some web site development and search engine optimization tools, such as a
PPC search tab that provides easy search of the major pay per click engines.
UltraBar
http://www.ultrabar.com/
Like Groowe, UltraBar gives you easy access to multiple search engines plus allows you to add your
own. It also provides many of the features you'll find in the Google Toolbar, such as term highlighting
and jumping to keyword buttons. Highly-recommended. (Review: Beyond the Google Toolbar, July 15,
2002)
Vivisimo Toolbar / MiniBar
http://vivisimo.com/toolbar/toolbar-download.html
http://vivisimo.com/toolbar/minibar-download.html
Lets you tap into Vivisimo meta search results from your browser. The second URL lets you load a
"mini" version of the toolbar, helpful for those who already have many other search toolbars installed.
Meta Search Utilities
Similar to metacrawlers, the meta search utilities below send your query to more than one search
engine at the same time. But unlike online meta search engines, many of the software packages can
also retrieve actual web pages, allowing you to sort results, perform more analysis, eliminate dead
links, save searches and more.
Copernic Agent Basic
http://www.copernic.com/en/products/agent/basic.html
Copernic Agent is a meta search engine, invisible web explorer, online research assistant and
extensive tool box, all combined into an elegant, easy to use toolbar. (Review: Copernic Agent: Jack
of All Searches, July 23, 2003)
InfoGrid Internet Explorer Bar
http://www.infogrid.com/homepage.htm
Allows Internet Explorer users to change the search button from its default behavior of using MSN
Search to instead meta searching at several major search engines via the InfoGrid site. Also provides
access to news search services and other resources.
Apple Sherlock
http://www.apple.com/macosx/jaguar/sherlock.html
If you have a Mac with a current OS, then you've got meta search and more built in. This page at
Apple explains more.
SearchWolf
http://www.trellian.net/search/
Allows you to search multiple search engines from your desktop.
WebFerret
http://www.ferretsoft.com/
WebFerret lets you search across the web. The free version has banner ads, while the paid version
does not.
Subject Search Spider
http://www.kryltech.com/spider.htm
Metasearch utility that queries the selected set of search engines in over 35 languages. Has text
highlighting and other features.
Search Companions & Discovery Tools
The search companions and navigation tools below are designed to help you find or discover
information, often in non-traditional ways.
AdSubtract
http://www.intermute.com/adsubtract/
This software removes paid listings from search engine result pages, along with banner ads and pop-
ups. Paid inclusion listings are not removed.
Annotate Net Radar
http://www.annotate.net/html/download/download.py
Similar to Alexa above, this browsing companion suggests content from its partners that is related to
what you are viewing.
Grokker
http://www.groxis.com/service/grok/g_products.html
Grokker lets you "fly" through search results grouped into different topics. It can be a helpful way to
easily maneuver yourself into the right results, when there's more than one set of answers to your
question.
GuruNet
http://www.gurunet.com/
First known as GuruNet, then Atomica, then revived in early 2003 as GuruNet once again! This tool
lets you highlight words or Alt-Click on them in a document and then send the word to an online
dictionary or thesaurus. (Review: GuruNet: A Handy Information Magnet, June 11, 2003)
HydraLinks
http://www.hydralinks.com/hl1001.htm
HydraLinks is a simple utility that lets you manipulate and save search results to a customizable list,
speeding up your searching and letting you easily share results with others. (Review: Speed Up Your
Searching with HydraLinks, June 19, 2003
TouchGraph GoogleBrowser
http://www.touchgraph.com/TGGoogleBrowser.html
Enter a URL, then see a pretty picture showing you interlinks between that URL and other sites based
on Google's "related" command (also called Similar Pages). However, don't misinterpret this as an
illustration of actual site interlinking. Pages related to a URL are not necessarily pages that link to that
URL. Instead, they are simply pages that Google deems to be similar in terms of content.
UCmore
http://www.ucmore.com/
This tool installs into your browser and then shows information related to the page you are viewing. It's
billed as "contextual search," but it's more a discovery tool along the lines of Alexa, above. In other
words, you don't search using it, but you may discover new sites related to those you like. It will
suggest directory categories and actual web sites from the Open Directory that are deemed related to
the page you are viewing. So, if you are listed in the Open Directory, you may show up in front of
those using this tool. "Elite" listings get you a guaranteed placement -- these come from being the top
bidder with FindWhat. The tool also claims not to be spyware, but content owners may not be happy to
have it suggesting other sites to their visitors. Similar criticisms have been levied against Alexa, in the
past.
Articles About Search Toolbars
Toolbars: Trash or Treasures?
Online, Jan/Feb 2004
http://www.infotoday.com/online/jan04/OnTheNet.shtml
A guide to the many search toolbars now littering our desktops, looking at what's offered, options and
possible problems.
Designs on desktop search
News.com, Jan. 12, 2004
http://news.com.com/2100-1032-5138715.html
Now that Google's jumped out of the browser and into the taskbar, Microsoft and Yahoo are thinking of
doing the same.
Beyond Google: Narrow the Search
AP, Jan. 4, 2003
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,61783,00.html
A look at tools that automatically categorize and sometimes even visually present search results.
There's nothing new about the concept. Northern Light did auto-categorization back in 1997, and
AltaVista had a visualization tool in the same year, to name only some examples. They never caught
on, but perhaps the new crop may have more luck -- though even these "new" tools mentioned are all
more than a year old.
Going Deeper than Google
Fortune, Dec. 16, 2003
http://www.fortune.com/fortune/fastforward/0,15704,563090,00.html
Review of Grokker, which lets you "fly" through results found by Google and other search engines.
Monetizing Graphical Search
InternetNews.com, Dec. 15, 2003
http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/3289001
Trying to shake people out of the 10 textual search results format, a new version of Grokker provides
the ability to "fly" through results items of interest, while Vivisimo has released a new toolbar to let you
access "clustered" search topics from its acclaimed meta search engine.
AdSubtract to snip paid search results
IDG, Dec. 8, 2003
http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/12/08/HNadsubtract_1.html
AdSubtract removes paid listings from search results as well as blocks other types of ads.
On the Google Deskbar
The Register, Dec. 4, 2003
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/34338.html
The Register finds that, much as it says it's depressed to admit, the Google Deskbar is a good thing.
Review of features and how changing habits from browser-based searching to taskbar searching
worked for the writer.
The Google Deskbar
Pandia, Nov. 7, 2003
http://www.pandia.com/sw-2003/45-deskbar.html
Pandia provides an overview of features in the new Google Deskbar, especially the ability to use
keyboard shortcuts to search and reasons why you may want search outside your browser.
Google Plops Its Search on the Desktop
InternetNews.com, Nov. 6, 2003
http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/3105641
Has comments from me about Google's move from the browser and onto the desktop.
Google's Popular Toolbar
New York Times, Oct. 30, 2003
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/30/technology/circuits/30goog.html
Google's Toolbar has a great pop-up blocking feature, but that also means pop-ups you want can go
unnoticed. If you're using it, remember that overriding the pop-up (easily done) may be the solution to
a web access problem you may be having. And designers, as this article covers, take note that you
may need to consider dumping the pop-ups.
Google And The Big Brother Nomination
The Search Engine Update, April 2, 2003
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/_subscribers/articles/03/article.php/2174961#spyware
With "advanced features" on, the Google Toolbar sends information about the page you are viewing in
order to update its PageRank meter. When you installed the Google Toolbar, this fact was highlighted
and an alternative for those concerned with privacy issues was offered. Nevertheless, some people
still may not have realized that the toolbar monitors page viewing in this way. This article examines
accusations that the toolbar is "spyware."
Google Toolbar Alternatives
Pointeronline, Jan. 24, 2003
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=32&aid=18194
Use Netscape? Here are tips on accessing search engines directly from the URL box.
Clearing Your Search History From Google And Other Search Engines
The Search Engine Report, Jan. 7, 2003
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/sereport/article.php/2165181
Ever gone to Google or another search engine using the Internet Explorer browser and noticed that
some past searches you've performed were displayed below the search box? Don't blame (or thank)
the search engine. It's your browser that's keeping the record, and it's one you may find yourself
wishing to delete, from time to time. This article explores the procedures involved.
Search Tool & Utility Reviews
Within Search Engine Watch, this page has older reviews of software-based search tools that you may
find interesting.
Removing Adware/Spyware
Readers sometimes ask how their "default" search engine got changed in Internet Explorer or why
they are getting "pop-up" search results from a search engine they've never heard of.
The answer is that there may be some program installed on your computer, perhaps without you
knowing it, that made these changes.
To correct this behavior, try running Ad-Aware on your system (it's free) to see if there's any "adware"
present. Counterexploitation also has a good page listing some programs that might be causing your
problems.
Boolean Searching
Boolean search commands have been used by professionals for searching through traditional
databases for years. Despite this, they are overkill for the average web user. The commands
described on the Search Engine Math page provide the same basic functionality as Boolean
commands and are also supported by all the major search services. If you are new to searching, start
off learning how to search better by first reading the Search Engine Math page, rather than trying to
learn Boolean commands. I'm certain you'll find it easier.
In fact, many professionals might benefit by abandoning Boolean commands when using web search
engines. But since there is a comfort level in using what is already familiar, this page covers how
Boolean commands are implemented at the major search services. It assumes you are already
familiar with Boolean searching, although some resources that provide further help appear at the end
of the page.
OR
The Boolean OR command is used in order to allow any of the specified search terms to be present
on the web pages listed in results. It can also be described as a Match Any search. You use the
command like this:
ireland OR eire
Search engines that support OR are shown on the Search Features Chart. For those that don't, see
their advance search pages, where an option to search for any of your terms is often available.
Also be aware that some search engines perform an OR search by default, as shown in the Match
Any section of the Power Searching For Anyone page. Search engine specific notes are below:
AOL Search
OR failed to work correctly at the time this page was written. For instance, a search for "ireland OR
eire" failed to yield a much larger set of results that should have appeared when compared to "ireland
AND eire".
Google
OR will not work to find different phrases, such as "bill clinton" OR "hillary clinton"
AND
The Boolean AND command is used in order to require that all search terms be present on the web
pages listed in results. It can also be described as a Match All search. You use the command like this:
clinton AND dole
Search engines that support AND are shown on the Search Features Chart. For those that don't, using
the + symbol is generally a good alternative.
Also be aware that some search engines perform an AND search by default, as shown in the Match
All section of the Power Searching For Anyone page. Search engine specific notes are below:
AOL Search
When using AND, you may find a slightly different number of documents will be retrieved when
compared to using the + symbol. This appears to be because AOL Search will check both its own
listings and Inktomi listings when using AND but only Inktomi listings when using the + symbol.
NOT
The Boolean NOT command is used in order to require that a particular search term NOT be present
on web pages listed in results. It can also be described as an Exclude search. You use the command
like this:
clinton NOT dole
Search engines that support NOT are shown on the Search Features Chart. For those that don't, using
the - symbol is generally a good alternative. Search engine specific notes are below:
AOL Search
When using NOT, you may find a slightly larger number of documents will be retrieved when
compared to using the + symbol or no commands at all. This shouldn't happen, but it did at the time
this page was written.
NEAR
The NEAR command is used in order to specify how close terms should appear to each other. You
use the command like this:
moon NEAR river
Please consider whether you really need to control proximity within your searches. Most search
engines will try to find the terms you indicate next to each other, or within close proximity to each other,
by default. Also, all of the search engines support phrase searching through use of quotation marks.
See Search Engine Math page for more information about phrase searching.
Search engines that support NEAR are shown on the Search Features Chart. Search engine specific
notes are below.
AltaVista
NEAR means that terms will appear within 10 words of each other.
AOL Search
You can control the exact number of words apart by using NEAR/#. For instance, NEAR/5 would
mean the terms should be five words apart. If you don't specify a number, then the terms must appear
right next to each other.
Lycos
NEAR means that terms will appear within 25 words of each other. Lycos also supports an extensive
range of other adjacency commands. See the site's help pages for Boolean searches for further
details.
Nesting ( )
Nesting allows you to build complex queries. You nest queries using parentheses, like this:
impeachment AND (clinton OR johnson)
Search engines that expressly say that they support nesting are shown on the Search Features Chart.
I have not tried to verify this information. Be aware that the major search engines may process nested
queries differently than each other.
Other Notes
AltaVista
Boolean searching can only be done from the advanced search page, as listed on the Search
Assistance Features page.
Excite, Google & MSN
Boolean commands must be in uppercase. That's why I show them that way on this page. If you
always use uppercase, you won't have problems when going between services.
Inktomi- services (HotBot, MSN Search)
You must set the menu option on the home page or advanced search page to "Boolean phrase" when
using Boolean commands.
Lycos
Lycos says it supports many Boolean commands, and I haven't verified these, because of the difficulty
of determining exactly which datasets might be processed. In addition, AllTheWeb -- which powers
many of the search results at Lycos -- doesn't support Boolean. This makes it unclear how Lycos itself
might then do this.
More Resources
Full Boolean at AlltheWeb
Search Engine Showdown, Jan. 21, 2003
http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/newsarchive/000629.shtml
Recaps new boolean support at AllTheWeb.com, along with other changes.
Boolean Searching on the Internet
http://library.albany.edu/internet/boolean.html
An easy-to-read and comprehensive guide to Boolean searching on web-wide search engines.
The Internet Search-Off
Searcher, Feb. 1998
http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/feb98/story1.htm
Lots of discussion of using Boolean commands with search engines, and why you may not get the
results you expect.
Search Features Chart
Designed for searchers, an at-a-glance look at common commands and features.
Search Engine Math
This teaches you the basic commands that are all most people need to improve their searches.
Power Searching For Anyone
This teaches you advanced commands to help you better control your searches.
Search Assistance Features
Several search engines offer special search assistance features that many users overlook. This page
explains the ones that are particularly useful.
Search Engine Tutorials
Links to articles and web sites that offer help with using search engines.
Search Engine Reviews
Links to reviews about the major search engines, in terms of how effective they are.